Art imitates life for co-chair Venus, Osaka and Serena at Met Gala

The dress code for the 2026 Met Gala was "Fashion is Art" -- and the stars of the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz understood the assignment.

The annual star-studded affair, a pop-culture behemoth that raises funds annually to benefit of the Museum of Modern Art's Costume Institute in New York City, was co-chaired this year by seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams and also attended by Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams. All three tennis champions served an ace with their respective outfits.

Williams' look, a curve-hugging, custom crystal black gown by Swarovski with a neck plate full of pearls, was inspired jointly by one of her most prolific tournaments, Wimbledon, and a painting of her that was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery, as reported by Vogue. The neck plate represented the Venus Rosewater Dish, the champion's trophy at Wimbledon, folded in half -- with detailing that conveyed other important people and places.

"There's a lot of symbolism," she said. "My mom is here, my dad is here, there's symbolism from my culture in West Africa, the Watts Towers represent southern California. It just seemed right for this theme."

But another person important to Venus Williams' life, her sister Serena, sparkled in real life.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion wore head-to-toe silver, with her asymmetrical gown and shoes designed by Marc Jacobs. She accessorized with David Yurman jewels.

Osaka, meanwhile, deepened a burgeoning collaboration with couturier Robert Wun -- who designed her jellyfish-inspired Nike look that went viral at the Australian Open in January -- with a head-turning number inspired by what the pair said was "the shedding of the skin and the human anatomy."

Appearing at the Met Gala for the first time since co-chairing herself in 2021, Osaka took the red carpet in a sculpted ivory coat with red feathers that featured open seams exposing red crystals, and a matching oversized wide-brimmed hat from Awon Golding.

Beneath the outer layer, Osaka donned a fitted red crystallized gown featuring thousands of faceted Swarovski crystals in four shades of red, with long-sleeved sheer gloves and pointed nails. Vogue reported that the look took more than 3,200 hours of work to complete, and the dress featured 659,000 stitches.

Osaka told Vogue that she was "blown away by the whole creation."

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